Carton opener



E. C. BURHANS April 29, 1952 CARTON OPENER 2 SHEETSSHEET 1 Filed July19, 1950 April 1952 E. c. BURHANS 2,595,122

CARTON OPENER Filed July 19, 1950 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 INV dR C aria/15'ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 29, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CARTONOPENER Eugene C. Burhans, Lockport, N. Y.

Application July 19, 1950, Serial No. 174,684

3 Claims.

This invention relates to an improvement in a device for mechanicallyopening cartons of cigarettes to' thereby prepare the carton for taxstamping the ends of each package therein, and forms acontinuation-in-part of application Serial Number 782,807 which issuedas Letters Patent No. 2,574,087 on November 6, 1951. I

In the device of the above named application one carton of cigarettes ismanually fed to effect the cutting of the leading end of a carton, and asecond carton, also manually fed, is moved into engagement with thefirst carton to push said first carton beyond the cutting knife. Whilethe knife cuts through the trailing end of the first named carton italso enters the leading end of the second carton. Hence, the effortinvolved in manually moving the second carton while in direct contactwiththe first carton, produces fatigue of the operator and requiresconsiderable skill to manipulate in effecting cutting of the leading endof the second carton in the precise location required.

In the device of the present invention, means is provided whereby anoperator manually moves the carton through improved guide elements wheneffecting the cutting of the leading end, and thereafter the cartonmoves under power to effect the breaking of a glued portion between thecover flap and carton wall, also the cutting of the trailing endthereof. a

It is the principal object of the invention therefore, to combine with ahand fed carton, means whereby, after an initial carton end cuttingoperation of one wall is completed, the carton is further driven underpowerto complete the further cutting of the trailing end of the carton.

It is a further object to include means whereby the vertical relation ofthe carton to the cutting element is maintained through the applicationof pressure on the under surface of the carton, and the provision ofmeans to guide the upper wall of the carton close to the edge of thecutting blade.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is disclosed in the accompanyingdrawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a carton moving Within a guidechannel in the direction of the arrow, and further shows how a cuttingoperation is performed on the leading end of the carton, and includespower driven elements positioned to effect the feed of the carton afterthe cutting of the leading end thereof;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of one end of a carton, withpart broken away, and is particularly shown forthe purpose ofillustrating the structure of the carton at the location where cuttingis effected;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the structure shown in Fig. l and furtherincludes flap opening elements which further condition the carton byturning the cut wall and cover flap portions back when the carton is fedto a tax imprinting machine; and

Fig. 4-. is a side view of Fig. 3 with part broken away to show elementsprovided for applying pressure to the under surface of the carton,

In general, the device comprises a platform l0 along which cartons areadapted to be moved from a starting position at the extreme left end ofFig. 3 to a stamp imprinting machine, a portion of which is indicated atH, at the extreme right of Fig. 3. Cooperating with the carton as itpasses along the platform If! is a sharp edged blade or cutting elementl2, also wall and flap opening members l3l3a respectively, which bendthe wall and flap portions outwardly to expose ends of the packageswithin the carton as the carton moves along the platform I0. Suitableside guides are provided for the carton, as at I4--l4.

When a carton is entered into the machine, it is positioned as shown inFig. 2, with the part which is normally the cover, located at theforward side as indicated at [5, said cover having a continuing flapportion l6 tucked within the top wall 11, which wall is normally thefront wall of the carton. In effecting a cutting operation both ends ofthe carton are cut through at a position coinciding with the uppersurface of the flap l6 and the under surface of the wall 11. The wall I!is thus free to pivot about the corner indicated at l8.

Cartons also contain glued areas between the cover flap l6 and theinside surface of the wall I1, which become separated as the carton ismoved'relative to the blade l2.

A channel is provided for the support of the carton during the initialfeeding operation and comprisesa base 24, having a rigid side wall 25and an adjustable side wall 26. r v

The blade I2 is rigidly supported on a bracket -l9,--secured to thechannel wall 25 and has its cutting-edge positioned directly inalignment with the under-surface of the carton wall I I.

An upper guide 2| is also provided which is positioned so as to engagethe upper surface of the wall 11 to maintain the correct relationbetween the said wall and the cutting edge of the blade 12. Said guidecomprises a flat plate having one edge 22 aligned with and arrangedclose to the cutting edge of the blade l2. The guide 3 2! is yieldablysupported on posts 2323a being fixed in a block 20 secured to the wall25, and the post 23a being fixed in a block 2011 secured to the base 24.

When inserting a carton, it may be moved either along the base 24 oralong the surface of a filler element 21, the latter being provided whenstandard size cigarettes are contained within the carton, and is removedwhen the larger King size cigarettes are contained within the-carton.The filler element 21 is included in each of the drawings.

After the cutting of the leading end of, the carton, means is providedwhereby the carton may be fed under power, to effect the furtheroperations of breaking of the gluebetween' the flap i6 and under side ofthe wall ll, alsothe final cutting of the trailing end of the carton.Said means comprises a pair of rollers 28--28 supported on verticalshafts -29-,29, which shafts are supported in suitable bearings providedin brackets 3i3| and base portions 32-32 respectively. Each shaftextends downwardly and has a bevel gear 33 thereon which meshes with asimilar bevel gear 34. The bevel gear 34 is carried by a shaft 35, whichshaft is driven through a pulley and belt drive 36-38a and 31respectively. The pulley 36a is mounted on a shaft 38, which shaftcontinues sideward and has apulley 39 fixed thereon, as in Fig. 3, thelatter pulley-being driven through a-belt drive 4| from a motor 42.

The rollers 2828 are positioned relative to the carton so as tofrictionally engage the sides of the leading end of the carton after itis moved beyond the blade 12, and are adapted to continue the forwardmovement of the carton under power along the platform I while themembers |3i 3a engage the wall i7 and flap l6 respectively to swing sameoutward about their pivot corners. When the carton advances beyond thedrive of the rollers 28-28, the movement thereof is continued by asecond drive source indicated at 43-43 in a manner fully described inthe previouslynamed patent application.

In order to successfully cut through carton after carton, each newcarton must approach the blade 12 in the same precise relation to thecut-' ting edge thereof. To accomplish this, the guide plate 21 iscarefully adjusted relative to the cutting edge by means of adjustingthumb screws d45 against the compression of springs 46-48.

Having determined the position of the guide plate 2! relative to thecutting edge of the blade l2, means has also been provided to applypressure from beneath each carton to urge the carton against theundersurface of the guide and thereby maintain the required accuracy ofposition to out each carton. Referring to Fig. 4, the pressure meanscomprises a yieldable plunger 4?, which comprises a head 49 and stem 5!,the stem being slidably mounted within a bearin'g52. The bearingcomprises a screw 53, having an axial opening therein, within which thestem 5| slides. The screw portion 53 is threaded within a bracket 54secured to the channel wall 215. A spring- 55 is also mounted over thestem 5i and is seated on a hex head portion 56 of the screw 53.

In mounting the screw bearing 53, the screw portion is screwed into thebracket 54 and is locked in place by a lock nut 51. When in said lockedposition, the head 49 of the plunger projects a predetermined distanceabove the surface carton as the carton is inserted in the channel vicewhich requires a minimum of skill to operate,

whereas, the device disclosed in the above named patent applicationrequired exceptional operator skill for successfuloperation.

It is also desired to 'point out that manual feed- ?ing for effectingthe initial cutting operation is of the channel base 24' and will bedepressed when engaged by the lower leading end of the more desirablethan an automatic feed would be. In a carton opening device of thischaracter,

" wherein the carton is moved against the cutting are frequent incartons of different brands, the

operator control factor is very important. The operator, by thesense oftouch, can quickly detest any difiiculty encountered and withdraw thecarton, whereas, in an automatic feeding operation the feed wouldcontinue and mutilate the carton and contents before the feed could bestopped.

Having described the invention, claimed is:

1. In a device for cutting the ends of an upwardly disposed front wallof a closed carton containing packages of cigarettes and breaking asealed portion of the front wall away from the cover flap thereof tothereby prepare the carton for tax stamping the ends of each packagetherein; the combination of a channel for guiding the carton, a sharpedged blade horizontally positioned in the path of the leading end ofthe carton, the cutting edge of the blade registering with the lowersurface of the uppermost wall of the carton and being adapted to cutthrough the leading end wall of the carton when the carton is manuallyforced thereagainst upon being started through the channel, driven feedrollers positioned at each side of the carton adjacent the cutting bladeand adapted to engage with the carton after the initial cutting of theleading end wall, whereby the carton is thereaftermoved by power tocomplete the operation of breaking a seal between the cover flap andfront wall also the cutting of the trailing end wall, an upper guideextending across and above the channel with the undersurface thereofpositioned a distance above the cutting edge of the blade equal tosubstantially the thickness of the carton wall and with one edge thereofclose to the cutting edge of the blade, and adjustable supporting meansfor said upper guide at each side of the channel to effect verticaladjustment of the guide relativeto the cutting'edge of the blade.

2. In adevice for cutting the ends of an upwardly disposed 'front wallof a closed carton containing packages of cigarettes and breaking asealed portion 'of the front wall away from the cover flap thereof tothereby prepare the carton for tax stamping the ends of each packagetherein; the combination of a channel for guiding the carton, a sharpedged blade'horizontally positioned in thepath of theleading end of thecarton, the cutting edge of the blade registering with the lower surfaceof the uppermost wall of the carton and being adapted to cut through theleading end wall of the carton when the carton is. manually forcedthereagainst upon being started through th channel, driven feed rollerspositioned at each side of the carton adjacent what is the cutting bladeand adapted to engage with the carton after the initial cutting of theleading end wall, whereby the carton is thereafter moved by power tocomplete the operation of breaking a seal between the cover flap andfront wall also the cutting of the trailing end wall, an upper guideextending across and above the channel with the undersurface thereofpositioned a distance above the cutting edge of the blade equal tosubstantially the thickness of the carton wall and with one edge thereofclose to the cutting edge of the blade, adjustable supporting means forsaid upper guide at each side of the channel, to efiect verticaladjustment of the guide relative to the cutting edge of the blade, and ayieldable pressure member engageable by the base of the carton when thecarton is moved beneath the guide plate, whereby the upper wall of thcarton bears firmly against the guide plate to assure accurateengagement of the cutting blade with the leading carton wall.

3. In a device for cutting the ends of an upwardly disposed front wallof a closed carton containing packages of cigarettes and breaking asealed portion of the front wall away from the cover flap thereof tothereby prepare the carton for tax stamping the ends of each packagetherein; the combination of a channel for guiding the carton, a sharpedged blade horizontally positioned in the path of the leading end ofthe carton, the cutting edge of the blade registering with 0 Number I 6thelower surface of the uppermost wall of the carton and being adaptedto cut through the leading end wall of the carton when the carton ismanually forced thereagainst upon being started through the channel,driven feed rollers positioned at each side of the carton beyond thecutting blade and adapted to engage with the carton after the initialcutting of the leading end wall; whereby the carton is thereafter movedby power to complete the operation of breaking a seal between the coverflap and front wall also the cutting of the trailing end wall, and meansto maintain a constant position of the carton relative to the cuttingedge of the blade and comprising an upper guide plate extending acrossthe channel and engageable by the upper surface of the carton to guidethe carton relative to the blade, and a yieldable pressure elementengageable by the base of the carton when the carton approaches acutting position to efiect upward pressure on said carton against theupper guide plate.

EUGENE C. BURHANS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date 2,216,884 Katt Oct. 8, 1940

